Dispenser launched air arming bomb fuze

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for arming a munition in flight without separation of the arming device from the munition.

1Jnited States Patent Little et al.

DISPENSER LAUNCHED AIR ARMING BOMB FUZE lnventorszVincent C. Little, Fullerton, Md.; Aaron S. Berlin, Wilmington, DeL; Toney C. Leadore, Harve de Grace, Md.

App1.No.: 42,632

U.S. Cl. ..102/4, l02/7.2, l02/85.6, 102/86 Int. Cl ..F42b 25/16 Field of Search ..102/85, 81.2, 4, 86, 7.2, 85.6

[56] Reierences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,959,401 5/1934 Woodberry .,102/81.2

1,857,131 5/1932 Barker ..102/86 2,044,819 6/1936 Taylor ..102/4 1,596,224 8/1926 Wiley ..102/86 2,400,002 5/1946 Hebard.... ..102/86 3,478,686 11/1969 Berg 1 ..102/4 3,025,795 3/1962 Sutton, Jr. et a1. 102/85 An apparatus and method for arming a munition in flight without separation of the arming device from the munition.

ABSTRACT 7 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJMEB .913 3.712.217

SHEET 2 BF 3 lib/VENTURE Vincent 6. Little Aaron 5.. Ber/in Toney C Leadore 5 @W ATTOR EYI PATENTEUJAH23 I975 3.712.217

SHEET 3 [IF 3 INVENTORS Vincent 6. Little Aaron 6'. Berlin Tansy C Leadare DISPENSER LAUNCHED AIR ARMING BOMB FUZE DEDICATORY CLAUSE The invention described herein may be manufactured, used, and licensed by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

Our invention relates to a means and method for arming a munition while the munition is in flight.

While the prior art contains many means and methodology for arming munitions while in flight, all of the prior art arming means separated from the munition at or subsequent to the activation of the arming means. Such separation of the arming means presented a safety problem in regard to the handling of the munition as well as flying parts from the separated arming means striking and damaging the munition launching means, such as an aircraft. Our invention was conceived and reduced to practice to overcome the aforementioned prior art problems and to satisfy the long felt need for an arming device which would arm the munition in flight without necessitating separation of the arming means from the munition.

Our invention has utility to arm a munition, such as a bomb, in flight and after the munition has left the launching means, such as an aircraft.

The principal object of our invention is to provide a reliable and effective means and method to arm a munition in flight without necessitating separation of the arming means from the munition.

Another object of our invention is to provide a reliable and effective means and method to arm a munition in flight which enables the munition to be safely handled.

Other objects of our invention will be obvious or will appear from the specification hereinafter set forth.

FIG. 1 is a view showing the utility of ourinvention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a plurality of munitions having our arming device mounted within a tube as in FIG. 3 and mounted within a munition such as a bomb.

FIG. 3 is a view showing ,an embodiment having a plurality of munitions having our arming device mounted within a tube for loading into amunition such as a bomb, as shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a top view of our arming device in the non arming position.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of our arming device through 5--5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a view of a munition with our arming device in the non arming position.

FIG. 7 is a view of an air vane of our arming device.

FIG. 8 is a view through 88 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a view of our arming device in a preliminary stage of arming.

FIG. 10 is a view through 10-10 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a view of our arming device at the completion of arming with the firing pin striking the detonator.

FIG. 12 is a view showing the hinged assembly for the air vane of our arming device.

FIG. 13 is a view through l313 of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is an exploded view of the hinged assembly shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is a view through 15l5 of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a view of a munition having our arming device at the start of the arming cycle.

Our invention, as shown in FIGS. Ito 16, will now be described in detail as follows.

Conventional burster mixture 1 and conventional pyrotechnic delay train shown at 2 are loaded within conventional burster tube 3 in the conventional manner, as shown in FIG. 5. The particular delay train and burster mixture is selectable within the skill of the art to suit any given application. Superimposed on delay train 2 is conventional stab type primer 4; the primer to be activated in the conventional manner upon being struck by firing pin 5 to produce a flash of fire which ignites delay train 2. Ignition of delay train 2 results in the ignition of burster mixture 1 in the conventional manner which explosively ignites to rupture burster tube 3 and activate the munition 6 payload, not shown in the drawing, within munition 6 and surrounding burster tube 3 in the conventional manner; the payload being any conventional material such as incendiary material, explosive material, or chemical material. The arming means shown at 7 in FIG. 5 is removably mounted within munition 6, as shown in FIG. 6, by thread means 8. Munitions 6 can be dispensed in any conventional manner, such as by aircraft as shown in FIG. 1, by mounting munitions 6 in a larger munition, such as bomb 9 as shown in FIG. 2; munitions 6 being loaded within bomb 9 by any conventional means, such as dispenser tube 10 as shown in FIG. 3. A plurality of dispenser tubes 10 can be loaded within bomb 9; the number of munitions 6 and tubes 9 can be selected within the skill of the art to suit a given application. Munitions 6 are released from dispenser tube 10 in the conventional manner by activation of conventional explosive detent 11 which expels retaining plug 12 from within dispenser tube 10 without damage to munitions 6 and results in the ejection of munitions 6 by the force imparted by the expansion of spring 13 upon release of the spring tension. Bomb 9 is mounted under the air craft in the conventional manner, such as by means of hangers 14. When a plurality of dispenser tubes 10 are mounted within bomb 9, explosive detents 11 for each dispenser tube can be selectively activated within the skill of the art by any conventional means such as an intervalometer, not shown in the drawing. Air vanes 15 are retained in a non flight position, as shown in FIG. 5, prior to insertion within dispenser tube 10 by means of safety wire 16 inserted through hole 17 in adaptor plate 32 and the wire being bent back on itself; the wire so inserted acts as a stop means to prevent hinge 33 from rotating past the wire in a counterclockwise direction. When munition 6 is loaded within dispenser tube 10, safety wire 16 is removed and air vanes 15, which are under spring tension by means of spring 19 as shown in FIG. 14, are hand held in the non flight position as the munition is inserted within the dispenser tube. After munition 6 is inserted within dispenser tube 10, air vanes 15 are retained in the non flight position by the inner wall of the dispenser tube, as shown in FIG. 3, until the munition is ejected from the dispenser tube as described above. Upon ejection of munitions 6 from dispenser tube 10, both air vanes 15 spring open by means of spring 33 to the flight position, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, simultaneously with raising of air vane plate 23 by spring 31, and as a result of the tension developed by spring 18; the air vanes are locked in the flight position by the engagement of projection 20, as

shown in FIG. 13, within slot 21, as shown in FIG. 15, formed in protrusion 22 integral with air vane plate 23. On free fall of munition 6, with air vanes 15 in the flight position, vanes 15 rotate in a clockwise direction which causes arming spindle 24 to rotate and move upward by means of threads 25. As spindle 24 moves upward, firing pin -moves with the spindle; the firing pin being retained within a cavity within the spindle by means of balls 26 located in hole 27 of the spindle, as shown in FIG. 11, and the balls being forced within and retained in annular recess 28, as shown in FIG. 11, of the firing pin by the inner wall of burster tube 3, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 9. When arming spindle 24 reaches the position shown in FIG. 11, the position being controlled by nut means 34, fixedly connected to spindle 24 and having been rotated by spindle 24 to recess 35, acting as a stop means within recess 35 of adapter plate 32, balls 26 are forced outward by centrifugal force into space 29, as shown in FIG. 11, which releases firing pin 5 to move downward as a result of the release of tension on spring 30 so that firing pin 5 strikes and activates primer 4 as described above. Alternative to the safety wire 16 assembly described above, a cover member, not shown in the drawing, can be superimposed on air vane plate 23 and the cover secured to adaptor plate 32 by a conventional hand grenade pull ringsafety pin means to retain air vanes in the non flight position.

It is obvious that other modifications can be made of our invention, and we desire to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A munition comprising a case means, an arming means, and a payload within the case means and surrounding a burster tube wherein the improvement in combination therewith is a means integral with the arming means which retains all components of the arming means and the munition as an integral unit at and subsequent to activation of the arming means, said burster tube having a closed end and an open end, the open end having thread means to removably mount an air vane assembly thereon; a predetermined amount and composition of a burster mixture located within the burster tube and in contact with the burster tube closed end, the burster mixture being adapted to be explosively activated by a pyrotechnic delay train to activate the payload; a predetermined amount and composition of a pyrotechnic delay train superimposed on the burster mixture within the burster tube, the delay train being adapted to explosively activate the burster mixture; a primer means superimposed on the delay train within the burster tube, the primer means being adapted to be detonated by a firing pin and to ignite the delay train upon detonation of the primer means; a firing pin means releasably retained under spring tension within an arming spindle by a retention means, the firing pin means being adapted to detonate the primer means upon release of the firing pin means within the arming spindle; an arming spindle means threadably removable from the burster tube by means of threads located at a predetermined position to mate with threads formed in the inner wall of the burster tube adjacent to the open end of the burster tube, the arming spindle being fixedly connected to an air vane plate of an air vane assembly and being removed from the burster tube upon rotation ofa pair of air vanes of the air vane assembly; a first spring means adapted to retain the firing pin under tension prior to release of the firing pin; and an air vane assembly adapted to be removably attached to the burster tube by means of threads formed in a tube means integral with the air vane assembly, the threads in the tube means integral with the air vane assembly being adapted to mate with the thread means of the burster tube open end, said air vane assembly comprising an adapter plate means integral with the tube means adapted to threadably mate with the burster tube; air vane plate means superimposed on and adapted to be anchored to the adaptor plate means, the air vane plate means being anchored by aligning mating holes in the adaptor plate means and the air vane plate means and located a safety pin means in the aligned mated holes; a spring means located between the adaptor plate means and the air vane plate means, the spring means being adapted to force the air vane plate means upward upon removal of the safety pin means to permit rotation of a pair of air vane means upon release of the air vane means to a flight position; and a pair of air vane means hingedly connected under spring tension to the opposite ends of the air vane plate means, the air vane means being adapted to rotate counterclockwise about a hinge pin to a flight position upon removal of the safety pin means, said air vane means being adapted to lock in the flight position by a projection on each hinge means engaging a slot formed in a protrusion integral with each end of the air vane plate means.

2. The munition of claim 1 wherein the payload is a material selected from the group consisting of incendiary material, explosive material, and chemical material.

3. The munition of claim 1 wherein the retention means is a pair of ball means located in a hole in the arming spindle, each ball being located on opposite sides of the firing pin and adapted to be retained in an annular recess in the firing pin adjacent to the end of the firing pin adapted to strike the primer means, said balls being retained in the recess by the inner wall of the burster tube until the arming spindle is removed from the burster tube to a predetermined location, an annular space being provided at the predetermined location to receive the balls when forced therein by certrifugal force to release the firing pin.

4. An arming means comprising a burster tube having a closed end and an open end, the open end having thread means to removably mount an air vane assembly thereon; a predetermined amount andfcomposition of a burster mixture located within the burster tube and in contact with the burster tube closed end, the burster mixture being adapted to be explosively activated by a pyrotechnic delay train to activate the payload; a predetermined amount and composition of a pyrotechnic delay train superimposed on the burster mixture within the burster tube, the delay train being adapted to explosively activate the burster mixture; a primer means superimposed on the delay train within the burster tube, the primer means being adapted to be detonated by a firing pin and to ignite the delay train upon detonation of the primer means; a firing pin means releasably retained under spring tension within an arming spindle by a retention means, the firing pin means being adapted to detonate the primer means upon release of the firing pin means within the arming spindle; an arming spindle means threadably removable from the burster tube by means of thread located at a predetermined position to mate with threads formed in the inner wall of the burster tube adjacent to the open end of the burster tube, the arming spindle being fixedly connected to an air vane plate of an air vane assembly and being removed from the burster tube upon rotation of a pair of air vanes of the air vane assembly; a first spring means adapted to retain the firing pin under tension prior to release of the firing pin; and an air vane assembly adapted to be removably attached to the burster tube by means of threads formed in a tube means integral with the air vane assembly, the threads in the tube means integral with the air vane assembly being adapted to mate with the thread means of the burster tube open end; said arming means having a means integral therewith which retains all components of the arming means as an integral unit at and subsequent to activation of the arming means, said air vane assembly comprising an adaptor plate means integral with the tube means adapted to threadably mate with the burster tube; air vane plate means superimposed on and adapted to be anchored to the adaptor plate means, the air vane plate means being anchored by aligning mating holes in the adaptor plate means and the air vane plate means and locating a safety pin means in the aligned mated holes; a spring means located between the adapter plate means and the air vane plate means, the spring means being adapted to force the air vane plate means upward upon removal of the safety pin means to permit rotation of a pair of air vane means upon release of the air vane means to a flight position; and a pair of air vane means hingedly connected under spring tension to the opposite ends of the air vane plate means, the air vane means being adapted to rotate counterclockwise about a hinge pin to a flight position upon removal of the safety pin means, said air vane means being adapted to lock in the flight position by a projection on each hinge means engaging a slot formed in a protrusion integral with each end of the air vane plate means.

5. The arming means of claim 4 wherein the retention means is a pair of ball means located in a hole in the arming spindle, each ball being located on opposite sides of the firing pin and adapted to be retained in an annular recess in the firing pin adjacent to the end of the firing pin adapted to strike the primer means, said balls being retained in the recess by the inner wall of the burster tube until the arming; spindle is removed from the burster tube to a predetermined location, an annular space being provided at the predetermined location to receive the balls when forced therein by certrifugal force to release the firing pin.

6. A method of arming a munition in flight while maintaining all munition components as an integral unit comprising the steps of dispensing a munition from a carrier means after removing a safety pin anchoring an air vane plate means to an adaptor plate means to permit release of a pair of air vane means to a flight position and simultaneously forcing the air vane plate means upward as a result of a force imparted through the release of tension from a spring means located between the air vane plate means and the adaptor plate means; releasing the pair of air vane means to a flight gositionfrom a non flight position under spring tension y rotating each mem er of the air vane pair counterclockwise about a hinge pin by a hinge means; forcing the air vane plate means upward; locking the air vane means in a flight position by engaging a projection means on each hinge means in a slot formed in a protrusion integral with each end of the air vane plate means; rotating the air vanes in a clockwise direction to raise an arming spindle fixedly connected to the air vane plate means; raising the arming spindle to a predetermined position to release a pair of ball means to an annular space formed in the inner wall of a burster tube housing the arming spindle; the pair of ball means holding a firing pin under spring tension within a cavity in the arming spindle; releasing the pair of ball means to the annular space by the action of centrifugal force; releasing the firing pin to strike a primer means; striking the primer means to ignite a pyrotechnic delay train; igniting a pyrotechnic delay train to explosively activate a burster composition; explosively activating the burster composition to rupture the burster tube and activate a payload; and activating a payload over a target area.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the payload is a material selected from the group consisting of incendiary materials, explosive materials, and chemical materials. 

1. A munition comprising a case means, an arming means, and a payload within the case means and surrounding a burster tube wherein the improvement in combination therewith is a means integral with the arming means which retains all components of the arming means and the munition as an integral unit at and subsequent to activation of the arming means, said burster tube having a closed end and an open end, the open end having thread means to removably mount an air vane assembly thereon; a predetermined amount and composition of a burster mixture located within the burster tube and in contact with the burster tube closed end, the burster mixture being adapted to be explosively activated by a pyrotechnic delay train to activate the payload; a predetermined amount and composition of a pyrotechnic delay train superimposed on the burster mixture within the burster tube, the delay train being adapted to explosively activate the burster mixture; a primer means superimposed on the delay train within the burster tube, the primer means being adapted to be detonated by a firing pin and to ignite the delay train upon detonation of the primer means; a firing pin means releasably retained under spring tension within an arming spindle by a retention means, the firing pin means being adapted to detonate the primer means upon release of the firing pin means within the arming spindle; an arming spindle means threadably removable from the burster tube by means of threads located at a predetermined position to mate with threads formed in the inner wall of the burster tube adjacent to the open end of the burster tube, the arming spindle being fixedly connected to an air vane plate of an air vane assembly and being removed from the burster tube upon rotation of a pair of air vanes of the air vane assembly; a first spring means adapted to retain the firing pin under tension prior to release of the firing pin; and an air vane assembly adapted to be removably attached to the burster tube by means of threads formed in a tube means integral with the air vane assembly, the threads in the tube means integral with the air vane assembly being adapted to mate with the thread means of the burster tube open end, said air vane assembly comprising an adapter plate means integral with the tube means adapted to threadably mate with the burster tube; air vane plate means superimposed on and adapted to be anchored to the adaptor plate means, the air vane plate means being anchored by aligning mating holes in the adaptor plate means and the air vane plate means and located a safety pin means in the aligned mated holes; a spring means located between the adaptor plate means and the air vane plate means, the spring means being adapted to force the air vane plate means upward upon removal of the safety pin means to permit rotation of a pair of air vane means upon release of the air vane means to a flight position; and a pair of air vane means hingedly connEcted under spring tension to the opposite ends of the air vane plate means, the air vane means being adapted to rotate counterclockwise about a hinge pin to a flight position upon removal of the safety pin means, said air vane means being adapted to lock in the flight position by a projection on each hinge means engaging a slot formed in a protrusion integral with each end of the air vane plate means.
 2. The munition of claim 1 wherein the payload is a material selected from the group consisting of incendiary material, explosive material, and chemical material.
 3. The munition of claim 1 wherein the retention means is a pair of ball means located in a hole in the arming spindle, each ball being located on opposite sides of the firing pin and adapted to be retained in an annular recess in the firing pin adjacent to the end of the firing pin adapted to strike the primer means, said balls being retained in the recess by the inner wall of the burster tube until the arming spindle is removed from the burster tube to a predetermined location, an annular space being provided at the predetermined location to receive the balls when forced therein by certrifugal force to release the firing pin.
 4. An arming means comprising a burster tube having a closed end and an open end, the open end having thread means to removably mount an air vane assembly thereon; a predetermined amount and composition of a burster mixture located within the burster tube and in contact with the burster tube closed end, the burster mixture being adapted to be explosively activated by a pyrotechnic delay train to activate the payload; a predetermined amount and composition of a pyrotechnic delay train superimposed on the burster mixture within the burster tube, the delay train being adapted to explosively activate the burster mixture; a primer means superimposed on the delay train within the burster tube, the primer means being adapted to be detonated by a firing pin and to ignite the delay train upon detonation of the primer means; a firing pin means releasably retained under spring tension within an arming spindle by a retention means, the firing pin means being adapted to detonate the primer means upon release of the firing pin means within the arming spindle; an arming spindle means threadably removable from the burster tube by means of thread located at a predetermined position to mate with threads formed in the inner wall of the burster tube adjacent to the open end of the burster tube, the arming spindle being fixedly connected to an air vane plate of an air vane assembly and being removed from the burster tube upon rotation of a pair of air vanes of the air vane assembly; a first spring means adapted to retain the firing pin under tension prior to release of the firing pin; and an air vane assembly adapted to be removably attached to the burster tube by means of threads formed in a tube means integral with the air vane assembly, the threads in the tube means integral with the air vane assembly being adapted to mate with the thread means of the burster tube open end; said arming means having a means integral therewith which retains all components of the arming means as an integral unit at and subsequent to activation of the arming means, said air vane assembly comprising an adaptor plate means integral with the tube means adapted to threadably mate with the burster tube; air vane plate means superimposed on and adapted to be anchored to the adaptor plate means, the air vane plate means being anchored by aligning mating holes in the adaptor plate means and the air vane plate means and locating a safety pin means in the aligned mated holes; a spring means located between the adapter plate means and the air vane plate means, the spring means being adapted to force the air vane plate means upward upon removal of the safety pin means to permit rotation of a pair of air vane means upon release of the air vane means to a flight position; and a pair of air vane means hingedly connected under spring tension to the opposite ends of the air vane plate means, the air vane means being adapted to rotate counterclockwise about a hinge pin to a flight position upon removal of the safety pin means, said air vane means being adapted to lock in the flight position by a projection on each hinge means engaging a slot formed in a protrusion integral with each end of the air vane plate means.
 5. The arming means of claim 4 wherein the retention means is a pair of ball means located in a hole in the arming spindle, each ball being located on opposite sides of the firing pin and adapted to be retained in an annular recess in the firing pin adjacent to the end of the firing pin adapted to strike the primer means, said balls being retained in the recess by the inner wall of the burster tube until the arming spindle is removed from the burster tube to a predetermined location, an annular space being provided at the predetermined location to receive the balls when forced therein by certrifugal force to release the firing pin.
 6. A method of arming a munition in flight while maintaining all munition components as an integral unit comprising the steps of dispensing a munition from a carrier means after removing a safety pin anchoring an air vane plate means to an adaptor plate means to permit release of a pair of air vane means to a flight position and simultaneously forcing the air vane plate means upward as a result of a force imparted through the release of tension from a spring means located between the air vane plate means and the adaptor plate means; releasing the pair of air vane means to a flight position from a non flight position under spring tension by rotating each member of the air vane pair counterclockwise about a hinge pin by a hinge means; forcing the air vane plate means upward; locking the air vane means in a flight position by engaging a projection means on each hinge means in a slot formed in a protrusion integral with each end of the air vane plate means; rotating the air vanes in a clockwise direction to raise an arming spindle fixedly connected to the air vane plate means; raising the arming spindle to a predetermined position to release a pair of ball means to an annular space formed in the inner wall of a burster tube housing the arming spindle; the pair of ball means holding a firing pin under spring tension within a cavity in the arming spindle; releasing the pair of ball means to the annular space by the action of centrifugal force; releasing the firing pin to strike a primer means; striking the primer means to ignite a pyrotechnic delay train; igniting a pyrotechnic delay train to explosively activate a burster composition; explosively activating the burster composition to rupture the burster tube and activate a payload; and activating a payload over a target area.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the payload is a material selected from the group consisting of incendiary materials, explosive materials, and chemical materials. 